Upon resigning as Belgium’s manager following their shocking World Cup 2022 group-stage defeat, Roberto Martinez said: “The team has truly made people happy. However, now is the moment for me to acknowledge that it is done? I don’t step down. The term of my contract is up.
Roberto Martinez leaves role as Belgium manager
Roberto Martinez, the manager of Belgium, has stated that he will be leaving his position in light of the team’s disastrous World Cup group-stage loss. After Belgium’s 0-0 tie with Croatia sealed their early elimination, Martinez said his contract would not be renewed but claimed he had “not quit. The Belgian FA expressed gratitude to Martinez for his six years of service but claimed that their performance in Qatar had failed and let down the Belgian people.
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Previously, Martinez had led Belgium to their best-ever World Cup performance, a third-place showing in Russia in 2018. With players from what has been referred to as the nation’s “golden generation,” which included Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Eden Hazard in their prime, they finished the tournament as the highest scorers. However, they were unable to capitalize on their performance and Italy eliminated them from Euro 2020 in the quarterfinals.
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They were ranked second by FIFA when they came in Qatar, but a shocking loss to Morocco and a scoreless draw with Croatia caused them to be ousted from the group stage for the first time since 1998. Riots in Brussels and Antwerp necessitated the closure of portions of the cities by the police, further tarnishing that defeat to Morocco, which ranks as one of the World Cup’s biggest shocks.
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